


Choose people not houses (Hogwarts AU)

by Living_Paradox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, Good Friend Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Hufflepuff Ranboo, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Ranboo needs a hug, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Supportive Techno and Phil, Tubbo and Tommy are chaotic, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot is Not Okay, found family kinda, his friends are there for him, stressed Ranboo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28623951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_Paradox/pseuds/Living_Paradox
Summary: Ranboo didn’t like the idea of houses. He heard that being brave made you a hero. That being curious made you a knowledgeable sidekick. That being ambitious made you the villain and that being kind made you an extra. He thinks that’s stupid. Then again he’s never been to Hogwarts. He stares at the train and sighs as he steps on. It’s going to be a long seven years.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 380





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These are the characters and not the streamers!  
> ______________________________________
> 
> Ranboo goes to Hogwarts and ends up meeting some strange people.

Ranboo stared out at the busy station and heard a loud train horn startle a few people, including himself. He’d been anxiously fidgeting for the past ten minutes and at that point he was just glad glad the train was here so he would stop panicking about the sorting.

He’d been paranoid about it for weeks now, going off on tangents around his family about how strange it would be surrounded by people with the same values as him while stressing about which house he would be in. Both his parents were ravenclaws but he just didn’t have the curiosity that they did.

Ranboo shook himself out of his thoughts, gave a quick goodbye and a shaky smile to his parents, and turned to look at the train.

Ranboo didn’t like the idea of houses. He heard that being brave made you a hero. That being curious made you a knowledgeable sidekick. That being ambitious made you the villain and that being kind made you an extra. He thinks that’s stupid. Then again he’s never been to Hogwarts. He stares at the train and sighs as he steps on. It’s going to be a long seven years.

The train is packed with students and all he can do is awkwardly shuffle through the hallway mumbling apologies until he spots an empty compartment.

Ranboo takes a seat and continues his fidgeting until he’s snapped out of his thoughts when a blond haired boy that looks about his age stumbles into his compartment.

“Um hey,” Ranboo says with a smile that he means to be welcoming but just ends up looking like he’s being held at gunpoint.

The boy just gives him a weird look then pauses as if remembering something important. Ranboo watches as the boy’s realization turns to a look he can only describe as amused terror.

“ Wilbur’s going to fucking murder me,” he says.

The kid seems to finally realize he said that out loud and turns to say, “Hey, I’m Tommy and don’t worry Wilbur would never actually murder me” he pauses thinking some more then adds, “ Techno might though, the fucking bastard.”

All Ranboo can do is nod stiffly and gesture to an empty seat across from him as he processes Tommy’s introduction.

Tommy happily slides into the seat next to him and begins talking about something. Ranboo just tunes him out and tries to figure out how he got into this situation.

He comes to the conclusion he doesn’t know.

“Oi are you even listening,” Tommy questions while poking his shoulder to see if he’s alive. He must have spaced out for a long time because when he snaps out of his daze and starts listening when Tommy talks about how that should put on their robes because the train ride is almost over.

He really ruined his only chance to socialize before they all get put in houses in favor of even more mindless paranoia. Well this is going great.

Ranboo decides that all hope is not lost and tries at a semi normal conversation. He wasn’t known for his social skills.

“So what house do you want to be in,” he prompts nervously staring at the ground when Tommy replies, “Gryffindor I guess, Will’s one and I’m obviously a big man and that’s where the good guys go. Techno’s a Ravenclaw and that’s lame so I don’t wanna go there. It’s for pussys. Slytherin is where the villains go so I’d just about off myself if I ended up there.” 

“What about Hufflepuff,” Ranboo asked curiously. He wanted to know his opinion if it was even half as insane as his other reasons.

“What about them? They don’t do shit” he replied looking genuinely confused. 

Ranboo wonders where he got these opinions from because they were absolutely hilarious. Of course he just had to burst out laughing making Tommy send him a questioning glance. He really wasn’t known for his social skills but apparently neither was Tommy.

Apparently it hadn’t bothered Tommy much because shortly after he asked what house Ranboo wanted to be in.

And of course he had no clue.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t been thinking about it for the past few weeks but no matter how much he thought he couldn’t figure out what house he would be in. How was he supposed to pick a set of traits to define him when they’re were only four options. 

He wasn’t especially brave and tended to follow most rules so he wasn’t a Gyffindor. He didn’t think he was especially kind or hardworking, I mean he tried to be but that was more out of courtesy then anything. He thought he was smart but he knew he wasn’t curious enough to pass for a ravenclaw and he wasn't the least bit ambitious so Sytherin wasn’t a possibility.

He honestly had no idea where he belonged.

But it wasn’t up to him so he just told Tommy he thought Gryffindor was cool and that seemed to appease him as he waved goodbye and exited the compartment saying he was leaving to get changed.

That probably meant he should put on his robes too so he left his compartment and went to get changed.

However when he got back he saw Tommy talking animatedly to a short boy with messy brown hair around his age.

The brown hair boy seemed to notice him and said, “Hi, I’m Tubbo and I’m a family friend of Tommy’s. Can I sit here?”

Tubbo looked pretty nervous and Ranboo knew what it felt like to meet new people so he just smiled and nodded giving him permission.

He thought Tubbo and Tommy seemed nice even if Tommy was a little chaotic.

It would be nice to have some friends.

“My names Ranboo, nice to meet you. What do you think your favorite subject will be”

Hopefully that was an okay introduction. He really didn’t know what he was doing.

Thankfully Tubbo just smiled, sat back down, and started talking about how he thought muggle studies was fascinating.

Ranboo felt more comfortable here.

He sat down next to him, across from Tommy, and started an intense discussion about what subjects they were excited for. He found out that Tommy liked defense against the dark arts and wanted to be a auror cause he thought they were “so fucking cool.”

Ranboo thought they were cool too. He liked Tommy, he was fun, and a bit insane in a sort of endearing way.

He found out that Tubbo really liked the care of magical creatures and herbology. He also had a strange obsession with bees.

Ranboo thought bees were cool too. He liked Tubbo, he was nice but a bit chaotic and strange in an endearing way.

He thought Tommy and Tubbo were cool.

Ranboo, Tubbo, and Tommy talked about a variety of subjects including the best magical sweet and the most op spell. When Tubbo found out Ranboo was a Half-blood he pestered him about muggle zoo’s until Tommy said to “give the man a break.” Tommy told tales of his brother’s adventures at Hogwarts that Ranboo knew were embellished for dramatic effect. He didn’t comment on it.

The train suddenly stopped and he felt the weight of all his anxieties crash back onto his shoulders.

He decided he didn’t have anything to lose and voiced his concerns.

“We’ll still be friends no matter what house we get put in right.” 

Tommy gave him a ‘are you serious look’ and Ranboo immediately felt stupid. “Of course idiot,” Tommy replied with a smile. Ranboo felt even more stupid.

With his fears quelled he followed them out of the train and to a large man with a larger beard. The man was named Hagrid according to Tommy, he led them to a set of boats next to a dark lake. When Ranboo saw the castle he gaped and thought about what it would be like to live there if even for the school year. No matter how Tommy tried to deny it he was gaping too while Tubbo looked absolutely awestruck to be at the school they’d all dreamt about. 

They got into a boat and as an excited Tommy was trying to calm a nervous Tubbo but all Ranboo could think about was how after the sorting things would change. Though Tommy was nice he followed the set of beliefs that dubbed Gryffindor to be the only good house and he was sure him and Tubbo weren’t future Gyffindors.

He just hoped they could stay friends despite Tommy’s beliefs.

By the time they reached the shore Tubbo had finally calmed down after Ranboo told him they were still going to be friends, Tommy’s sharing the sentiment to Ranboo and Tubbo’s relief.

Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo walked to the castle with the rest of the first years until they reached the Great Hall and stood nervously outside the doors before walking into the lion’s den.

Ranboo waited with baited breath as kids were sorted. So far a boy named Purpled was a Gryffindor, a boy named Fundy was deemed a Hufflepuff, and a kid named Eret was a Ravenclaw.

It was Ranboo’s turn.

He shakily moved to meet the hat and practically fell into the chair out of stress, giving some fifth years a good laugh. The sorting hat was placed on his head and he sat stiffly until it finally spoke.

“Ah,not a bad mind, you could do well in Ravenclaw. Plenty of kindness, ah-yes,” the hat paused as if thinking then went on to say, “Hufflepuff!”

He was a Hufflepuff.

There were muted cheers coming from the farthest left table. He felt like he was moving in slow motion when he pulled off the hat and went to sit next to the kid he thought was named Fundy.

He was a Hufflepuff.

The realization seemed to sink in as more names were called. He liked Hufflepuffs, he thought they seemed nice it was just, he knew Tommy and Tubbo weren’t going to be there with him.

The sorting continued and Tommy was, unsurprisingly, a Gyffindor. He beamed under the cheers then went to sit by what he assumed to be his brother Wilbur. He gave him a wide smile, and ruffled his hair, sending Tommy into a string of expletives that made the kids around them cringe.

Tubbo turned out to be a Ravenclaw and he gave a nervous grin to Tommy and Ranboo and went to sit with the kid with sunglasses named Eret.

With the sorting over he decided to mull over his thoughts about the results later and joined a conversation about the teachers that included Fundy, a sweet third-year named Niki, and a second-year named Karl that seemed more excited about them being there then Ranboo and Fundy combined.

He liked it here, everyone seemed really nice.

A perfect named Bad led them to a room next to the kitchens and they shuffled inside to find the comfiest room he had ever seen.

The common room was adorned with soft yellow pillows and the couches had fluffy black blankets on them. Gold and brown furniture sat around a welcoming fire and the opposite wall housed the same set up minus the fireplace.

It felt like home here. He didn’t know why but this felt like a good thing, like the beginning of a story. This felt like a family. Ranboo wanted to be a part of it.

When he settled into his dorm room that night he put his worries to bed, he would think about them tomorrow.


	2. Niki’s cookies are the best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo goes through his first day at Hogwarts and realizes how unfair the dorm rooms are. Luckily he has friends who are there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it

Ranboo didn’t like the house system, but he loved his common room. It was cozy, warm, and there always seemed to be someone ready to help you with work or lend an ear to your problems. That’s what he thought as he left his dorm room on his first day of Hogwarts.

The common room was packed with people from every year. He watched as Bad talked with some first-years and went to join them.

“Oh hi! I was just gonna show some first-years where their first class is, do you wanna join,” Bad said with a cheery smile.

If Ranboo was honest with himself he wasn’t completely sure where Herbology was so he just said sure and handed Bad his schedule.

He left the common room with Bad and some other first-years, including Fundy, who he found out was Tommy’s cousin. He couldn’t spot the resemblance.

He and some other kids he didn’t know split off from the group when Bad told them they were at the entrance to the area that housed the greenhouses. Ranboo thanked him and made his way to one of the greenhouses. He had this class with the Ravenclaws so needless to say he was excited at the possibility of seeing Tubbo.

Ranboo had the right to be excited because five minutes after class started a certain brown haired boy burst into the classroom like death was at his heels.

It was absolutely hilarious.

Tubbo told the professor in between heavy breaths that stairs were “evil” and that he couldn’t read the schedule. He explained how anyone with a brain knew that cursive was murder for dyslexics and they should just use comic sans.

Ranboo agreed with him, comic sans was a good font, and even him, a non dyslexic, had trouble reading the schedule.

Then he realized he implied the staff didn’t have a brain. He shuffled into the seat next to Ranboo and they quietly laughed about Tubbo’s entrance. He certainly made an impression. Professor Sprout just scolded him lightly and offered to change his font after class. If it was any other subject Ranboo was sure Tubbo would’ve lost house points.

They had a relatively fun Herbology class with Tubbo practically bouncing off his seat every time new information was given and Ranboo quietly writing detailed notes so he wouldn’t forget the class.

When Ranboo mentioned to Tubbo how bad his memory was Tubbo gave him a weird look and made a note in his own notebook about something, but Ranboo was too tired to try and find out what he wrote, so he just continued with his own notes.

When Herbology ended Ranboo waited with Tubbo as Professor Sprout changed the font on his schedule and her, being as nice as she was, fixed it for him.

Ranboo thought Professor Sprout was very nice as she offered him a font change too, which he agreed to.

It was just more aesthetically pleasing that way.

He parted ways with Tubbo, after showing him what direction his next class would be, and promising Tubbo, Tommy, and he would meet at the lake later today.

Ranboo knew the castle layout from his brief read of Hogwarts a History but seeing on a map was very different from living it. He was thankful his dorm wasn’t in one of the towers, he could barely get around as is, he didn’t need moving staircases.

Fate wasn’t on his side and he ended up barely making it to history on time.

After his morning classes were finished he headed to the great hall and sat down, tired and dead inside. He was forced to listen to Professor Binns drone on about the Great Goblin War (which seemed much more interesting then it was) in his monotone voice for an hour.

Fundy saw the state he was in and went over to him asking what’s wrong. He explained the reason for his peril and Fundy vented to him about how Snape was “out to get them.”

Fundy suggested that because he was decent enough in potions he’d take notes for Ranboo in exchange for Ranboo’s history notes. He happily agreed because he liked his life, thank you very much.

He left lunch feeling much better after Fundy’s pep talk. Ranboo suffered through the rest of the day's classes. Most of them were just introducing themselves and the subject, which Ranboo already knew, mostly thanks to Tommy. 

Speaking of Tommy, Tubbo had told him about the plan to meet at black lake after school and had told Ranboo about it in their combined care for magical creatures class. It seemed like Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had a lot of joint classes together because he had Herbology, care of magical creatures, and transfiguration with Tubbo.

Ranboo saw Tommy two times that day, in defense against the dark arts and history of magic, though he was only awake in one. Ranboo wondered when he would stop being stubborn and just ask him for the notes. It was better than him failing anyways.

He returned all his books but a small white and black notebook. Ranboo had kept similar small black and white notebooks since he was a kid. He always had memory problems, so as a solution he always carried his memories with him for reference. When he got older he told himself he was just going to learn how to use a pensive, until then he was stuck writing everything down in the hopes of not being as forgetful. At least it would make a cool biography one day.

As Ranboo stepped out onto the soft grass he felt his worries drift away to the wind. He wondered where Hogwarts was even located.

He should probably reread “Hogwarts a History.”

Near the edge of black lake he spotted a tuft of blond hair and immediately knew it was Tommy.

As he went to meet him he heard Tommy shout, “Oi, dickhead!”

This was going to be a long afternoon.

“Hey Tommy. Where’s Tubbo?”

“He’s just late, he’s the one that invited me, and he’s late,” Tommy said before shaking his head jokingly.

As if on cue Tubbo stumbled to meet them holding a picnic blanket in his hands. Picnic blanket was a stretch, it was probably an old throw blanket that the other Ravenclaws didn’t care about. 

Tommy moved to help him, who was trying to wrestle the blanket into his arms. Together the two carried the blanket to where Ranboo was, spread it out with Ranboo’s help, and sat down.

“Thanks for bringing a blanket Tubbo,” Ranboo said.

“You’re welcome big man,” replied Tubbo.

What was with both Tommy and Tubbo using “big man” unironically. Ranboo hoped he didn’t pick up that habit. 

They talked for the next few hours about who had the best common room; Ranboo won. Who knew the most about Hogwarts stories; Tommy won with Ranboo being a close second. And finally who knew the most about dragons; Tubbo won.

“It’s unfair. Why does this bitch get the best common room, Hufflepuffs don’t do shit,” Tommy said fake glaring at Ranboo.

He knew he was joking but a part of Ranboo knew it really was unfair. Tubbo had to answer a riddle to enter for god's sake! Meanwhile Ranboo didn’t have to deal with moving staircases like both of them and instead could enter the kitchen at any point to grab snacks. What kind of trade off was that?

Ranboo’s good mood dampened but he still tried his best to engage in the intense debate Tommy and Tubbo had about Quidditch teams. 

It was getting late so they said their goodbyes and promised to meet at the library the same time tomorrow. He reached the common room some time later and collapsed in a chair with a sigh.

Fundy came over to the chair he was slumped over, “You okay? You look like you’re going pass out on me”

“I’m good, just a long day,” Ranboo replied

In all honesty he was drained from overthinking the fairness of his situation, and just wanted someone to talk too, Fundy seemed like a good candidate.

“I’ve just been thinking, the houses aren’t fair. Ravenclaws have to answer a riddle to open their door. The Gryffindors have to deal with the moving staircases and the Slytherins are stuck in the dungeon, which is most likely freezing,” Ranboo sighed, defeated.

“And we’re next to the kitchen. It just doesn’t seem fair,” Ranboo said hopelessly.

Fundy looked at him worriedly then just nodded and replied, “I never really thought about it, it really sucks to know that’s happening to your friends.”

Ranboo was right to think Fundy was a good person to talk too.

“Thanks,” Ranboo said hoarsely. He was just so tired of worrying. He wanted a break. Fundy seemed to understand.

“Niki’s making peanut butter cookies in the kitchen right now. We can share them and hang with her and Karl if you want,” Fundy said kindly.

Ranboo just nodded.

They spent the evening eating Niki’s cooking, hearing some of Karl’s stories about what he called the Dream Team ,and helping Fundy learn lumos.

As Ranboo went up to his dorm he thought about how kind everyone was. They all sat with him and talked around the fire.

He didn’t know much except that Nikki‘s cookies were the best.

He resolved to ask Bad if he could ask a Ravenclaw prefect to open the door for Tubbo so he wouldn’t have to carry all his books around.

He knew it was the only thing he could do to help but that didn’t stop him from feeling bad.

At least he had friends to help him through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to try and update daily and I was wondering what the length of the chapter should be?


	3. Fundy doesn’t like Gyffindors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hufflepuffs always help each other out. Whether that was feeding a kids desire to overwork himself or by making kids feel better they had a habit of protecting their first-years.
> 
> aka Fundy and Ranboo find out about the Hufflepuff stereotype first hand, they don’t take in well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hufflepuff Supremacy!!!!  
> (says the Ravenclaw)

He woke up to Fundy standing over him, presumably trying to balance a book on his nose. He sat up and gave him a glare. Of course Fundy being, well, Fundy, just grinned at him, and chuckled at his suffering.

Why were all of his friends gremlins?

“Why did you have to wake me up like that, my face hurts,” Ranboo whined tiredly. It was just too early for this. What time was it anyways?

“It was funny,” Fundy had replied simply, shrugging his shoulders like he hadn’t just condemned him to an early morning.

“What time is it? It’s still dark out?”

“It may or may not be six am,”

Suddenly the idea of murder was sounding very appealing. Sadly that was illegal so he instead settled for giving Fundy a death glare and hauling himself out of bed.

Fundy looked slightly guilty so Ranboo just brushed it off and began reviewing his notes.

He was too tired to hold grudges this early and he did need to review for his first care of magical creatures class. What could he say, he was an optimist at heart. At least he thought he was.

After an hour of review he and Fundy headed to the common room so as not to wake any of their dorm mates.

He thought that Fundy should have extended that courtesy to him that morning but that was in the past. No he wasn’t mad. And no he didn’t hold grudges.

He also totally wasn’t lying to himself.

They continued their studies by what they deemed “their table” as students slowly started filing into the common room. Niki appeared with a plate of leftover cookies from a week ago.

After the talk he had with his friends(would they mind if he called them that) he talked to Bad about Tubbo’s predicament and Bad happily spoke with a Ravenclaw prefect. The situation ended with the boy(??) named Eret and a second year named Sam that both shared a similar schedule to him walking with him to classes.

After that was fixed he spent the past week in a blur of classes, going to black lake with Tubbo and Tommy, hanging out in the common room with Niki and Karl, and doing homework with Fundy.

So far he was really starting to feel more at home at Hogwarts after falling into a routine.

Him and Niki were talking quietly about what uses that Arthethmency had when a series of bangs came from beside him.

He looked over to see Fundy hitting his head on the table repeatedly. Was he okay?

Fundy had been stressed over the past week. Between regular classes, his obsession with learning ancient runes from Karl, and his desire to prove that Hufflepuffs were smart he had gotten very little sleep over the past week.

Everyone had learned to not disturb the(admittedly overworked) first year when he hexed two second years that tried to play a prank on him when he was studying. Ranboo wasn’t inclined to share their fate so he just tried to help him in the ways he knew how.

Which consisted of grabbing him breakfast and dinner from the great hall, staying up with him by the fire while he studied, and being the guinea pig for his spells.

That’s not to say that the rest of the Hufflepuffs didn’t help. Some fifth years smuggled some coffee from the kitchen for him and a group of fourth years gave Ranboo a copy of “Ancient Runes Made Easy” telling him to give it to the ginger saying he found it in the library.

When he asked the fourth years why they were helping them they just replied, “ He’s doing this because he’s frustrated about being overlooked for being a Hufflepuff. We’ve all been there at some point and I assume you’ll see how unfair it is pretty soon. That’s why we decided to make proving them wrong easier for him.”

After they left he just sat, knowing what they meant but not having experienced it yet. He wondered when Fundy realized it. 

It was a known ‘fact’ that Hufflepuffs were the useless house. While the other houses were brave, smart, and ambitious Hufflepuffs were kind and “good finders,” What did that even mean!?!?

It was weird how everyone got surprised when a Hufflepuff was smart or brave but we’re surprised when Ravenclaws and Gyffindors were kind or loyal.

It just didn’t make sense so why did everyone treat it as fact.

He got frustrated with his thoughts and decided not to focus on it. When he tuned back into the conversation Niki was in a discussion about what plants they should grow in the common room this year with Bad(when did he get there) and Fundy was continuing to slave away to learn ancient runes with Karl’s help.

He was proud of Fundy for even attempting to learn ancient runes. It was a third year class but he was sure if anyone could do it it was Fundy.

Soon after he left the common room with a half awake Fundy tagging along.

Classes passed by quickly and before he knew it he was headed to Black Lake to meet with Tubbo and Tommy when he heard a Gryffindor lecturing someone.

“Tommy I know you’ve known Tubbo for a while so he’s understandable but come on, a Hufflepuff.”

Ranboo froze at the words, his heart sank, was Tommy really going to leave him. His thoughts jumbled together, voices overlapping, why was everything going fast? He thought he heard muffled talking in the distance but he couldn’t focus on it. He couldn’t focus on anything, it was just so overwhelming. His head was pounding, was he really-

Tommy’s hand on his shoulder shook him out of it. He felt terrible, were they going to leave him? Did they lie when they promised they would say friends no matter their house then he- he would be alone. Alone and sad and hopeless and useless and-

“You okay their big man?”

He nodded. Tommy looked concerned and a bit guilty. He immediately felt bad for worrying him. He should just make it easier on Tommy and get it over with, yeah that sounded like a good plan.

“You don’t have to be my friend, it’s okay,” he forced out hoarsely. It felt like swallowing a pill that you knew would hurt you but he was Tommy’s friend so he would do it for him.(his chest hurt)

Tommy’s disbelief, worry and guilt flashed through his face at the reply.

“ No, that’s not, uh-...Sorry I was talking to that guy. As soon as he said well you know, I- well you saw it. I promise he won’t bother you, he really messed up. I want to be your friend Ranboo. I don’t give a shit what house you're in, you and Tubbo are my friends, and friends stick together.”

Ranboo felt like crying.

Tommy held his arms out for a hug and Ranboo hesitatingly returned it, patting Tommy on the back. He wasn’t hugged often so this felt strange, a good strange. He felt awkward at first but he felt comfy so he thought that was a good trade off.

Ranboo saw Tubbo in the distance and begrudgingly detached from Tommy who looked shaken but overall fine.

He saw Tubbo’s light smile morph into a concerned question as soon as he saw Tommy and him.

He then realized he had started crying at some point.

Tubbo ran over to the two and Ranboo watched as Tommy explained what happened. Tubbo looked horrified and immediately pulled Ranboo and Tommy into another hug. He felt safe there.

The trio were attached to each other for the rest of the time at black lake. Tubbo was immersed in one of the muggle books Ranboo lent him. Tommy was sprawled across the glass cloud watching and levitating twigs. He sat trying to figure out the ancient runes key for Fundy.

He understood what the fourth years meant now. It was unfair. At least his friends knew he was more than that and that was more than enough for him.  
————————————————————————  
When the news reached the Hufflepuff common room about what had happened to Ranboo they all pitched in to help him. Fundy had hexed the Gryffindor that talked to Tommy. Niki baked Ranboo’s favorite cookies(double chocolate) and gave him a paper with her recipes on it. Bad got him a plant and it was placed next to Ranboo and Fundy’s spot in the common room. Karl just cheered him up with a series of stories about cool Hufflepuffs.

The Hufflepuff’s were a family and Ranboo was a part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I’m just venting about the house system


	4. Ranboo has mixed feelings about Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo celebrates his first Halloween at Hogwarts.

He just wants to stop getting fawned over. It’s been weeks since his run in with the Gryffindor and all of his friends have gone out of their way to be exceedingly caring. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate it but he just wasn’t used to the kindness they gave him. It stressed him out. He wanted to live up to their vision of him but it was an unfair matchup no matter what he did.

In a weird, selfish way he also knows he likes the attention. The constant feeling of support grounded him from his thoughts and helped clean some of the clutter in his mind. He could focus more without the thoughts but they still came back occasionally.

He knew he got overwhelmed easily and cried a lot. So why did his friends still tolerate him?

Ranboo wanted to stop his thoughts but they never seemed to end. He forced himself to meet Fundy in the common room, actively guilt tripping himself into it.

Still in his dazed state as he walked into the room he ran face first into someone. He nervously looked up at the Hufflepuff and realized it was the same fourth year that gave him the Ancient Runes book.

“I heard about what happened, sorry about that. By the way I’m Scott Major.”

Scott was right about everything, he didn’t know what there was for him to be sorry for. After all he had given him advice and he gave Fundy that book, if anything he should say sorry for troubling Scott. 

“I’m Ranboo. Sorry about all of this, thank you for your help. Can I do anything for you in return?”

He felt sweat crawl down his temple as he gave his proposal. He thought it was fair. Scott had done so much for him and he wanted to help him out.

“No need, it’s fine. You don’t have to do anything in return, just prove them wrong,” Scott replied with a cheery smile, “If you really feel strongly this helping me clean the common room would help.”

Ranboo didn’t realize what he signed up for until he entered the common room. He came to the conclusion that Scott Major was an evil genius.

The ceiling was covered in orange and black floating candles. There was a collection of different Halloween themed sweets laid out on a large dark oak table. Pumpkins were spread across the room, each with a unique carving. The numerous potted plants that decorated that room were adorned in orange and black streamers.

After getting over the initial shock of the common rooms transformation he remembered he two things. It was Halloween and that he had to clean the common room. He immediately felt distasteful towards the streamers in particular. Why did the Hufflepuffs have so many plants?

Ranboo met Fundy at their table and Fundy dedicated that next half hour to gushing about the decor and the holidays while he told Fundy about his plight, gazing wearily out at the common room.

Ranboo always liked Halloween but he had always celebrated it the muggle way with his mom. He listened intently as Fundy explained the traditions that were included in a typical Halloween in the wizarding world.

Apparently at Hogwarts they mixed the two sets of traditions so he felt slightly more at ease about the holiday.

Ranboo immediately tensed when Fundy offhandedly mentioned the scary pranks students would play on each other.

Ranboo always disliked the scarier aspects on Halloween. He liked dressing up and buying candy but the neighborhood kids would try to scare him each Halloween giving him a bit of a grudge against the more scary aspects.

Despite that he figured this Halloween wouldn’t be that bad considering he was spending it with his classmates at his dream school.

He turned out to be very wrong.

It started out when Fundy and him were walking down a corridor and found out the hard way there was an ice charm on it. Then the pranks dissolved into floating objects and what was supposed to be a ‘scary’ scream. It sounded like someone was just extremely excited about something though. That or the scream was just less scary when you could hear it was coming from a wand.

He appreciated the effort but because he had been the victim of so many of these pranks all it did was slightly inconvenience him. (Not that he minded much)

That was until he was dragged by Tommy to Black lake where he spotted a bright red and white backpack and Tubbo with a fancy black cape draped around him.

“We’re going ghost hunting bitch!!!”

Tommy’s shout ended up attracting so much attention that a tired looking Sytherin perfect dragged them back into the great hall for what he assumed was the Halloween dinner Fundy mentioned. After a brief scolding from the Sytherin he went to sit with Fundy and the rest of the group for dinner.

He didn’t think the food at Hogwarts would get any better but here he was eating his third pumpkin pasty as Niki urged him to take a break as she had baked more upstairs for the party.

For the Hufflepuffs the ‘party’ was really just a fun and upbeat get together just with karaoke and tipsy seventh years.

It was still so much fun to get a chance to meet other Hufflepuffs and hear stories of past parties from the older kids that had had too much to drink.

The night ended with Fundy and him alone in the common room untangling streamers from house plants.

This was his favorite Halloween to date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’ve Ben gone for so long it’s my first time writing a fix this long and I wanted to hash out some story details before I went any further.


	5. Fundy is obsessed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fundy finally snaps

Ranboo thought Fundy was obsessed.

He’d been slumped over ancient texts for two weeks now, never not working, and snapping at anyone that tried to pull him away from it. He was practically living in the common room but had finally gained somewhat of an understanding for the subject.

Ranboo still didn’t think it was worth all those sleepless nights and angry mornings.

He had always tried to support his friend but even he knew this was unhealthy and destructive enough to warrant a proper response so he looked for a solution.

And that’s now he ended up in an empty classroom with Niki, Bad, Karl, and surprisingly Scott Major waiting for Fundy to walk through the door.

Their hastily put together intervention began as soon as a obviously sleep deprived Fundy stumbled through the door looking annoyed at the prospect of human interaction.

“Fundy w-we think that you s-should take a break..”

Ranboo was practically shaking from nerves but at least he had told Fundy he needed to stop. In all honesty he felt proud he was even able to do that.

Niki continued for him, “Fundy you know how much we care about you but you-you’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t stop”

“I’ll admit I gave you that ancient runes book because I wanted to prove the other houses wrong. I’m sorry for putting that pressure on you but you’re not healthy and that matters more than a stupid grudge,” Scott disclosed looking guilty a increasingly angry Fundy. Ranboo watched as Scott continued, “I shouldn’t have even gave you the book, you’re just-“

“I’m just what?”

“Stupid. A kid. Not ready,” Fundy was talking louder now, as if it would stop them from hearing his voice break. Ranboo felt even worse when Fundy continued even distressed than before.

“That’s all I’ve heard. I know I’m a stupid kid who’s not ready but I want to be be more! I want to be brave, ambitious, and smart but all I am is kind.”

Ranboo’s chest hurt when he said that. It hit too close to home. The feeling of being destined to be nothing but kind, to feel like a side character in your own story. He hated that Fundy had to go through this.

“I hate this house! I hate how everyone is so god damn nice! You’re all such doormats are you kidding me!” Funny’s voice got quieter, “You are kind but get nothing in return..how do you do it?”

Fundy took a few deep breaths and started again, “I just want to prove to myself that I’m more than this. More than fake smiles and fast apologies. More than a stupid Hufflepuff.”

Fundy smiles, looking more peaceful then he had been all week. An unsettling peace. 

Then he started crying.

Ranboo didn’t know how to handle this much emotion. He was still trying to process what Fundy said about their house. It was cold and sad, almost resigned. He never thought Fundy was dealing with all of this. He immediately felt a wave of guilt crash over him causing him to sink further into his thoughts.

Ranboo wished Fundy could see the good in their house and the good in him. His wish was granted when, surprisingly, Bad spoke up.

“You belong in this house Fundy. What you’ve been doing shows you’re hardworking. No matter how much you deny it you’re kind too. You belong in Hufflepuff.”

Ranboo went to hug Fundy, who was crying harder than ever after hearing Bad’s speech. He didn’t know what else he could do so he just comforted his best friend, ignoring the pain he held in his chest.

After the “Fundy incident” the group slowly fell back into their routine of afternoon sweets and homework though tensions were still high. You could tell everyone had been affected by the intervention.

Niki was quieter than usual and Ranboo could’ve swore he saw her crying after a particularly rough night.

Bad was always on edge near Fundy. Ranboo supposed he felt guilty for making him cry.

Scott most likely felt similarly considering he removed himself from the situation after it happened.

Karl was the least affected, mostly just suffering from the tension while trying to lighten the mood.

Fundy was trying his best to make it up to everyone by putting his work aside and attempting to be kinder.

Ranboo supposed it was fair to have to work for their forgiveness but he was just happy to have Fundy back. Not that the incident hadn’t affected him. He felt more alone than ever but his personal feelings weren’t an immediate issue so he pushed them aside in favor of being there for Fundy. That would definitely screw him over later but that was a problem for future him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m excited to see how the group goes from here

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment!


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